Haematological Changes and Nitric Oxide Levels Accompanying Artemether-Lumefantrine Administration in Male Guinea Pigs: Effect of Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder.

Background: Unsweetened natural cocoa powder (UNCP), prepared after removal of the cocoa butter, is a common beverage in Ghana. It possesses antimalarial prophylactic property and has beneficial effect on blood components. Aim: To determine whether regular dietary supplement of UNCP mitigates high dose (HD) artemether-lumefantrine (A-L)-induced haematological disorders and the effect on nitric oxide (NO) levels. Methods: Adult male guinea-pigs (300 g - 350 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups of 6 guinea-pigs each. 3 groups were treated with UNCP (300, 900 and 1500 mg/kg body weight) for 14 days. A-L (75 mg/kg) was administered from the 12th to 14th day. One of the remaining 2 groups received distilled water only ie vehicle control group (VCG) whilst the other received 75 mg/kg A-L only ie negative control group (NCG). Blood samples from all groups were obtained by cardiac puncture (day 15) followed by haematological and NO analysis. Results: A-L reduced white blood cells (WBC) by 31.87%, lymphocyte count (45.99 %), haemoglobin (11.72%), haematocrit (18.56%) and platelet count (33.08%) in the NCG. Administration of various doses of UNCP increased WBC and lymphocyte count (P˃0.05) compared to the NCG. UNCP and A-L combination caused an increase in NO levels when compared to the VCG. Conclusion: Regular consumption of UNCP by guinea-pigs increases plasma NO and restores some haematological disorders induced by a 3-day HD A-L administration. [J Complement Med Res 2016; 5(4.000): 350-357